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Mass Transit: FTA's New Starts Commitments for Fiscal Year 2003 (open access)

Mass Transit: FTA's New Starts Commitments for Fiscal Year 2003

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since the early 1970's, the federal government has provided a large share of the nation's capital investment in urban mass transportation. Much of this funding has come through the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) New Starts Program, which helps pay for rail, bus, and trolley projects. The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century authorized about $6 billion in "guaranteed" funding for the New Starts program through fiscal year 2003. FTA's evaluation process assigns candidate projects individual ratings for project justification and local financial commitments. The process also assigns an overall rating intended to reflect the project's merit. FTA recommended four projects for funding commitments for fiscal year 2003 in its New Starts report and budget proposal. FTA evaluated 50 proposed projects for fiscal year 2003 and developed ratings for 31 of them. Twenty-seven of these projects were rated as "highly recommended" or "recommended." Although FTA has faced transit budget crunches for years, the agency will end the act's authorization period with $310 million in unused commitment authority. Proposals to limit the amount of New Starts funds would allow more projects to receive such funding, but could …
Date: April 30, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Developing Countries: Switching Some Multilateral Loans to Grants Lessens Poor Country Debt Burdens (open access)

Developing Countries: Switching Some Multilateral Loans to Grants Lessens Poor Country Debt Burdens

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Last year the United States proposed that the World Bank and other development banks distribute more grants to the world's poorest countries to help ease their long-term debt burdens. The United States recommended that grants replace up to half of all future lending. The proposal has been controversial because of its potential impact on the resources available to poor countries. The World Bank estimates that the proposal could reduce its resources by $100 billion during the next 40 years. A shift of multilateral loans to grants would reduce poor countries' debt burdens and increase their ability to repay future debt. The total financial loss to the World Bank of a 50-percent shift from loans to grants during the next 40 years would be $15.6 billion in present value terms. Financing the proposal through harder terms on the remaining loans to poor countries would reduce and potentially nullify any improvement to their debt sustainability arising from the 50-percent grants proposal. However, if donor contributions to the World Bank were to increase by 1.6 percent a year, which is less than the projected rate of inflation during the …
Date: April 19, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intercity Passenger Rail: Amtrak Needs to Improve Its Decisionmaking Process for Its Route and Service Proposals (open access)

Intercity Passenger Rail: Amtrak Needs to Improve Its Decisionmaking Process for Its Route and Service Proposals

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In light of its continuing financial deterioration and its stated goal of eliminating federal operating assistance by December 2002, Amtrak undertook several steps to improve its financial condition, including changing in its routes and services. Amtrak has been unsuccessful in implementing its Network Growth Strategy to shift its route and service plans for new routes and expanded services on the freight tracks over which it operates. Two years after announcing the new strategy, Amtrak has only implemented three routes, one of which was later canceled. Amtrak still plans to implement the remaining three routes, although later than planned. Increased mail and express revenues were the cornerstone of the new strategy. However, Amtrak overestimated the mail and express revenue expected. According to Amtrak, this overestimation occurred because (1) it had no empirical basis for its revenue estimates and (2) express shippers were reluctant to enter into contracts for service that did not yet exist. Six of the planned route actions were canceled because Amtrak overestimated the revenues associated with them. Amtrak was unable to reach agreement with freight railroads because they were concerned about (1) Amtrak's plans …
Date: April 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Training: Limitations Exist Overseas but Are Not Reflected in Readiness Reporting (open access)

Military Training: Limitations Exist Overseas but Are Not Reflected in Readiness Reporting

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Rigorous, realistic training is key to military readiness. All U.S. military forces conduct frequent training exercises to hone and maintain their war-fighting skills. Combat units stationed outside the continental United States are able to meet many of their training requirements but face constraints in such areas as (1) maneuver operations, (2) live ordnance practice, and (3) night and low altitude flying. Training constraints cause adverse effects, including (1) requiring workarounds that can breed bad habits affecting combat performance; (2) requiring military personnel to be away from home more often; and (3) preventing training from being accomplished. To address these concerns, military commands and services are negotiating with host governments to lessen restrictions on existing training areas, but such actions are often done at an individual-service level and sometimes create unforeseen problems for other services and for existing training capabilities."
Date: April 30, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Student Aid: Additional Management Improvements Would Clarify Strategic Direction and Enhance Accountability (open access)

Federal Student Aid: Additional Management Improvements Would Clarify Strategic Direction and Enhance Accountability

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) administers more than $53 billion in financial aid for more than 8.1 million students. Since 1990, GAO has included student financial aid on its high-risk list. To address these and other long-standing management weaknesses, Congress established FSA as a performance-based organization (PBO) within Education in 1998. To develop and implement a strategic direction, FSA set three strategic goals, created indicators to measure progress toward these goals, and developed a tool to link employees' day-to-day activities to these goals. The goals are to (1) increase customer satisfaction, (2) increase employee satisfaction, and (3) reduce unit cost. FSA's efforts have generally improved customer and employee satisfaction scores. FSA has begun to implement some human capital practices to better organize its services and manage its employees. But gaps exist, and FSA has not yet implemented performance management initiatives to develop and assess its employees. To better serve customers, FSA reorganized to reflect its different customers--students, schools, and financial partners. To encourage accountability, FSA is linking staff bonuses to FSA's strategic goals. Education continues to clarify FSA's level of independence …
Date: April 30, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Special Education: Grant Programs Designed to Serve Children Ages 0-5 (open access)

Special Education: Grant Programs Designed to Serve Children Ages 0-5

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In fiscal year 2001, the federal government spent $7 billion on the following three special education grant programs: Special Education Grants to States (School-age Grants), Special Education Grants Preschool (Preschool Grants) and Special Education Grants for Infants and Families with Disabilities (Infants Grants). School-age and Preschool Grants are similar, except for the age ranges served, while Infant Grants differ in goals, performance objectives, performance measures, eligibility, and services. The key distinction between School-Age and Preschool Grants is that School-age Grants serve children ages three through 21, whereas Preschool Grants serve only children ages three through five. States receive funds from all three grants, and some states report they use both School-age and Preschool funds to provide the same range of services to children aged three through five. Although states receive funds from all three grants, local agencies may receive funds from only one grant, or from all three. Eighteen of the 19 states GAO reviewed reported that the range of services they provide to children ages three through five is the same as those they provide with Preschool Grants. Evaluations show that half the children who …
Date: April 25, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Administration: IRS's Innocent Spouse Program Performance Improved; Balanced Performance Measures Needed (open access)

Tax Administration: IRS's Innocent Spouse Program Performance Improved; Balanced Performance Measures Needed

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "By law, married persons who file joint tax returns are each fully responsible for the accuracy of the tax return and for the full tax liability. This is true even though only one taxpayer may have earned the wages or income shown on the tax return. Under the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Innocent Spousal Program, IRS can relieve taxpayers of tax debts on the basis of equity considerations, such as not knowing that their spouse failed to pay taxes due. Since passage of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, IRS has received thousands of requests from taxpayers for innocent spouse relief. IRS's inability to provide timely responses to such requests has generated concerns among taxpayers, Congress, and other stakeholders. IRS reached decisions on 21 percent more cases than it received in fiscal year 2001, reducing some of its backlog from previous years. The agency accomplished this through a variety of initiatives, including a substantial staffing commitment, centralization and specialization, automated tools, and routine estimating of future workload and staffing needs. IRS's procedures conform to applicable guidance for transferring tax liabilities from joint tax accounts …
Date: April 24, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Earned Income Credit: Opportunities To Make Recertification Program Less Confusing and More Consistent (open access)

Earned Income Credit: Opportunities To Make Recertification Program Less Confusing and More Consistent

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The earned income credit (EIC) is a refundable tax credit available to low-income, working taxpayers. Administering the EIC is not an easy task for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). IRS has to balance its efforts to help ensure that all qualified persons claim the credit with its efforts to protect the integrity of the tax system and guard against fraud and other forms of noncompliance associated with EIC. Although IRS made some changes to its correspondence, improved its examiner training, and expanded taxpayer outreach, certain aspects of the recertification process continue to cause problems for taxpayers. Since the inception of the EIC Recertification Program in 1998, IRS has taken steps to improve some of the letters and forms it uses to correspond with taxpayers about the program. However, two standard forms that IRS uses in corresponding with taxpayers as part of the recertification process can lead to unnecessary taxpayer burden. IRS asks taxpayers to submit certain information as part of the process that can be difficult for some EIC claimants to obtain or is inconsistent with what many examiners consider acceptable."
Date: April 25, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Commercial Activities Panel: Improving the Sourcing Decisions of the Government; Final Report, April 2002 (open access)

Commercial Activities Panel: Improving the Sourcing Decisions of the Government; Final Report, April 2002

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (the Act) required that the Comptroller General of the United States convene a panel of experts to study the policies and procedures governing the transfer of commercial activities for the federal government from government personnel to a federal contractor. The Panel held a total of 11 meetings over the period of May 2001 to March 2002, including three public hearings in Washington, D.C., Indianapolis, Indiana, and San Antonio, Texas. In these hearings, panelists heard first-hand both about the current process, primarily the cost comparison process conducted under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76, as well as alternatives to that process. Panel staff conducted an extensive amount of additional research, review, and analysis in order to supplement and evaluate the public testimony. This report includes the findings of the Panel as a whole, as well as a written statement from each Panel member as the Panel's report and recommendations."
Date: April 30, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Real Property: Better Governmentwide Data Needed for Strategic Decisionmaking (open access)

Federal Real Property: Better Governmentwide Data Needed for Strategic Decisionmaking

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "For 50 years, the General Services Administration (GSA) has maintained the federal government's real property assets, including military installations, office buildings, laboratories, courthouses, postal facilities, and embassies. Separately, the Department of the Treasury produces annual financial information on these assets. GSA's worldwide inventory is the only central source of detailed information on on the government's real property inventory, such as addresses, square footage, acquisition dates, and property type. GAO found that GSA's inventory contains unreliable data. The inventory lacks key data for budgeting and strategic management, such as space utilization, facility condition, historical significance, security, and facility age. Poor communication between GSA and the reporting agencies, technical difficulties with agency data, and resource constraints contributed to the problems. GSA lacks the authority to require agencies to submit data and has been pursuing real property reform legislation. The agency has also begun to improve the effectiveness of the worldwide inventory as a decisionmaking tool. With OMB's concurrence, GSA suspended the reporting process for fiscal year 2001 and plans to develop an enhanced database with real-time capabilities to complement the yearly inventory reports."
Date: April 16, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Retired Coal Miners' Health Benefit Funds: Financial Challenges Continue (open access)

Retired Coal Miners' Health Benefit Funds: Financial Challenges Continue

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "More than 100,000 retired coal miners and their spouses and dependents in 1992 faced a potential decrease in their employment-related health insurance coverage or loss of such coverage altogether. Some former employers had stopped mining coal or gone out of business and were no longer contributing to the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) retiree benefit funds. To ensure that these individuals would continue to receive the health benefits specified in previous collective bargaining agreements reached with coal companies, often gained in exchange for lower pensions, Congress enacted the Coal Industry Retiree Health Benefit Act of 1992 (Coal Act). The Coal Act replaced the existing UMWA benefit funds with the Combined Benefit Fund (CBF) and the 1992 Benefit Plan. These funds' benefits requires less cost sharing by beneficiaries and provides more extensive coverage than benefit packages offered by the major manufacturing companies and companies with unionized workforces. However, the extent of coverage is generally comparable. The cost of health care for the funds' beneficiaries in 1999 was about 29 percent higher than for demographically similar Medicare beneficiaries with employer-sponsored insurance. The funds' officials have attempted to …
Date: April 18, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Private Pensions: IRS Can Improve the Quality and Usefulness of Compliance Studies (open access)

Private Pensions: IRS Can Improve the Quality and Usefulness of Compliance Studies

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) studied 401(k) plan compliance with Internal Revenue Code requirements for tax-qualified plans. GAO found that IRS's estimates of noncompliance were inaccurate. The study, which audited a sample of 401(k) plans, did not provide information on the severity of the compliance violations identified and did not determine the number of plan participants or the amount of assets associated with noncompliance errors. Only 27 of the 73 study questions identified as compliance indicators conclusively demonstrated whether a plan was compliant or not. Consequently, the 44 percent reported to have one or more instances of noncompliance is at best an upper limit on the extent of noncompliance found. IRS has chosen specific types of private pension plans to study in a manner similar to the one conducted on 401(k) pension plans. The data that IRS collects will be analyzed to determine the prevalence and types of noncompliance among the plans studied."
Date: April 12, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
District of Columbia: Performance Report Reflects Progress and Opportunities for Improvement (open access)

District of Columbia: Performance Report Reflects Progress and Opportunities for Improvement

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report examines the progress the District of Columbia has made with its fiscal year 2001 performance accountability report and highlights continuing challenges facing our nation's capital. The District must submit a performance accountability plan with goals for the coming fiscal year and, at the end of the fiscal year, a performance accountability report on the extent to which it achieved these goals. GAO found that the District's Performance Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2001 provided a more complete picture of its performance and made progress in complying with statutory reporting requirements by using a consistent set of goals. This allowed the District to measure and report progress toward the goals in its 2001 performance plan. Specifically, it reported information on the level of performance achieved, the titles of managers and their supervisors responsible for each goal, and described the status of certain court orders. The District has made progress over the last three years in its performance accountability reports and established positive direction for enhancements in court orders, its fiscal year 2003 performance based budgeting pilots, and performance goals and measures."
Date: April 15, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Supporting Congressional Oversight: Budgetary Implications of Selected GAO Work for Fiscal Year 2003 (open access)

Supporting Congressional Oversight: Budgetary Implications of Selected GAO Work for Fiscal Year 2003

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report discusses the budgetary implications of selected program reforms discussed in GAO work but not yet implemented or enacted. To help congressional budget and appropriations committees identify ways to reduce federal spending or increase revenues, this year's report contains more than 100 examples of budget options organized by budget function. Where possible, budgetary savings estimates provided by the Congressional Budget Office or the Joint Committee on Taxation are presented."
Date: April 26, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare: Beneficiary Use of Clinical Preventive Services (open access)

Medicare: Beneficiary Use of Clinical Preventive Services

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Preventive medicine, including immunizations for many diseases and screening for some types of cancer, holds the promise to extend and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans. Medicare now covers three preventive services for immunizations and three for screenings, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sponsors "interventions" to increase the use of preventive services. GAO found that the use of preventive services varies widely by service, state, ethnic group, income, and education. The greatest differences among ethnic groups were for immunization rates. Cancer screening rates tended to differ according to income and education level. CMS pays for interventions that promote breast cancer screenings and pneumonia and flu shots. Most of the techniques being used, such as reminder systems that medical offices can use to alert doctors and patients to needed cancer screenings, have been effective. CMS is evaluating what its current efforts have accomplished and expects the results later this year."
Date: April 10, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Inventory: Trends in Services' Spare Parts Purchased from the Defense Logistics Agency (open access)

Defense Inventory: Trends in Services' Spare Parts Purchased from the Defense Logistics Agency

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) reported that a shortage of spare parts has caused a decline in the military services' readiness, particularly in aviation readiness. In response, Congress provided $1.1 billion in additional funding to purchase spare parts. According to DLA, shortages are a result of aging systems and high operational tempo, which increase the total number of spare parts required. The number of spare parts the military services ordered declined between 1996 and 2000, but the dollar value increased by 18 percent. Further, spare parts purchased were drawn from 70 of 78 stock groups. Defense officials told GAO that military downsizing was the primary reason for the decline and that credit card usage and contractor maintenance support also contributed. The reasons cited for the increase were (1) DLA shifts to a mix of more expensive spare parts and (2) price increases due to inaccurate initial price estimates, long periods between procurements, and substantial changes in the quantity of spare parts purchased."
Date: April 30, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Environmental Cleanup: Better Communication Needed for Dealing with Formerly Used Defense Sites in Guam (open access)

Environmental Cleanup: Better Communication Needed for Dealing with Formerly Used Defense Sites in Guam

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Chemical testing kits from World War II containing diluted mustard gas and other chemicals have been discovered on Guam. The Department of Defense (DOD) is responsible for identifying and cleaning up contaminated military sites throughout the United States and its territories. In the mid-1990s, DOD scaled back its identification efforts nationally and focused its attention on Guam. It now relies on referrals from the Guam Environmental Protection Agency and on incidental discovery during construction and other operational activities. Stakeholders had three concerns about the Army Corps of Engineers' efforts to identify and address contamination on former defense sites. First, they were uncertain about the Corps' process for adding potentially contaminated locations to its Guam inventory. Second, some locations containing debris, such as metal and tires, were excluded even though the waste was caused by DOD and could place a financial burden on the owner to remove it. Third, stakeholders were concerned about the slow pace of funding for the program. Between fiscal years 1984 and 2000, only four percent of the total expected cost of cleaning up these locations had been funded in Guam, compared with …
Date: April 11, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Preparedness: Technologies to Secure Federal Buildings (open access)

National Preparedness: Technologies to Secure Federal Buildings

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The terrorist attacks of September 11 have heightened concerns about the physical security of federal buildings and the need to protect those who work in and visit these facilities. These concerns have been underscored by reports of long-standing vulnerabilities, including weak controls over building access. There are several commercially available security technologies that can be deployed, ranging from turnstiles, to smart cards, to biometric systems. Although many of these technologies can provide highly effective technical controls, the overall security of a federal building will depend on robust risk management processes and implementing the three integral concepts of a holistic security process: protection, detection, and reaction."
Date: April 25, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeland Security: Responsibility and Accountability for Achieving National Goals (open access)

Homeland Security: Responsibility and Accountability for Achieving National Goals

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Administration took several steps to strengthen homeland security, including the creation of an Office of Homeland Security (OHS). The success of a homeland security strategy requires all levels of government and the private sector to communicate and cooperate with one another. The federal government must formulate realistic budget and resource plans to support the implementation of an efficient and effective homeland security program. A fundamental review of existing programs and operations can create the necessary fiscal flexibility by weeding out out-dated, poorly targeted, or inefficient programs. Although Congress called upon GAO to evaluate the effectiveness of OHS programs, GAO has experienced difficulty in gaining access to this information."
Date: April 11, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mortgage Financing: Actuarial Soundness of the Federal Housing Administration's Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (open access)

Mortgage Financing: Actuarial Soundness of the Federal Housing Administration's Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Housing Affordability for America Act of 2002 establishes risk-based capital requirements for the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Through the fund, FHA operates a single-family insurance program that helps millions of Americans buy homes. The Fund's estimated value rose dramatically in 1999, prompting proposals to spend current resources or reduce net cash flows into the Fund. The value of the Fund at the end of fiscal year 1999 was $15.8 billion. This capital ratio of 3.20 percent of the unamortized insurance-in-force exceeded the minimum required capital ratio of two percent. A two-percent capital ratio appears sufficient to withstand moderately severe economic downturns that could lead to worse-than-expected loan performance. Determining an appropriate capital ratio depends on the level of risk Congress wishes the Fund to withstand. FHA faces the failure of borrowers to perform, or credit risk, and the risk of managerial shortcomings, or operational risk. By defining the risk that the Fund must withstand, the act will define actuarial soundness and help FHA manage the Fund."
Date: April 24, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Waste: Uncertainties About the Yucca Mountain Repository Project (open access)

Nuclear Waste: Uncertainties About the Yucca Mountain Repository Project

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "As required by law, the Department of Energy (DOE) has been investigating a site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to determine its suitability for disposing of highly radioactive wastes in a mined geologic repository. If the site is approved, DOE must apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for authorization to construct a repository. If the site is not approved for a license application, or if NRC denies a license to construct a repository, the administration and Congress will have to consider other options for the long-term management of existing and future nuclear wastes. DOE is not prepared to submit an acceptable license application to the NRC within the statutory limits that would take effect if the site is approved. DOE is unlikely to achieve its goal of opening a repository at Yucca Mountain by 2010. Sufficient time would not be available for DOE to obtain a license from NRC and construct enough of the repository to open it in 2010. Another key factor is whether DOE will be able to obtain the increases in annual funding that would be required to open the repository by 2010. DOE currently …
Date: April 18, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Welfare Reform: States Provide TANF-Funded Work Support Services to Many Low-Income Families Who Do Not Receive Cash Assistance (open access)

Welfare Reform: States Provide TANF-Funded Work Support Services to Many Low-Income Families Who Do Not Receive Cash Assistance

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant makes $16.5 billion available to states each year, regardless of changes in the number of people receiving benefits. To qualify for their full TANF allotments, states must spend a certain amount of state money, referred to as maintenance-of-effort funds. As states implemented work-focused reforms during the strong economy of the 1990s, welfare caseloads dropped by more than 50 percent. GAO found that most former welfare recipients were employed at some point after leaving welfare, typically with earnings that did not raise them above the poverty level. Under welfare reform, spending shifted from monthly cash payments to services, such as child care and transportation. This shift reflects two key features of reform. First, many states have increased spending to engage more welfare families in work-related activities and to provide more intensive services. Second, many states have increased their efforts to provide services to low-income families not receiving welfare. Services for these families include child care, case management, and job retention and advancement services for families who have recently left welfare for employment as well as other low-income working families. Although …
Date: April 10, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Numbers: SSNs Are Widely Used by Government and Could Be Better Protected (open access)

Social Security Numbers: SSNs Are Widely Used by Government and Could Be Better Protected

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Social Security numbers (SSN), originally created in 1936 to track workers' earnings and eligibility for Social Security benefits is now used for many other purposes by both government and private sectors. The growth in electronic record keeping and the availability of information over the Internet, combined with the rise in identity theft, have heightened public concern about how their SSNs are being used. Federal agencies use SSNs to manage records, verify the eligibility of benefit applicants, collect outstanding debts, and do research and program evaluation. GAO found that federal laws designed to protect SSNs are not being followed consistently, Moreover, courts at all levels of government and offices at the state and county level maintain records that contain SSNs for the purpose of making these records available to the public. Recognizing that these SSNs may be misused, some government entities have taken steps to protect the SSNs from public display. At the same time, however, some government entities are considering making more public records available on the Intranet. Ease of access to electronically available files could encourage more information gathering from public records on a broader scale …
Date: April 29, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Contract Management: Roles and Responsibilities of the Federal Supply Service and Federal Technology Service (open access)

Contract Management: Roles and Responsibilities of the Federal Supply Service and Federal Technology Service

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The General Services Administration's (GSA) Federal Supply Service (FSS) and Federal Technology Service (FTS) help agencies to purchase telephone and computer systems, motor vehicles, travel, and everyday supplies valued at more than $30 billion annually. FSS and FTS take different approaches to filling agency customers' requirements but, in the information technology area, they provide similar goods and services and deal with many of the same vendors. Although overlapping programs with similar services would appear to create the potential for inefficiencies, GSA has little hard data with which to assess the situation. GSA has begun to provide more useful information on the performance of FSS and FTS and to identify more efficient operations. If successful, these initiatives also may provide a road map for assessing the performance of other interagency purchasing programs."
Date: April 11, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library